The local coordinator Assoc. Prof. Charles Tushabomwe-Kazooba leads the MUST team while Prof. Gily Coene leads the Flemish team. The six projects are focused on conservation practices; climate change adaption for food production; affordable energy technologies; sexual and reproductive health and rights; youth employability and; Institutional and community ICT needs. The IUC is premised on strengthening MUST capacity by offering scholarships in masters and PhDs while emphasising gender and environment as transversal themes in all operations.
The team leaders of these projects are; Dr.Medard Twinamatsiko, Assoc. Prof. Grace Kagoro, Dr. Jones Obungoloch, Dr. Joseph Ngonzi, Dr. Manasseh Tumuhimbise and Dr. Fred Kagwa respectively. An IUC is a long-term 10-year institutional partnership funded by VLIR-UOS aiming to strengthen local partner universities’ capacity improving their institutional performance in their education, research and service delivery and also enabling them to operate as driver of change for sustainable development.
While meeting the MUST Vice Chancellor Prof. Celestino Obua, he emphasised the commitment and support of management and administration in the implementation of the MUST IUC-UCoBS. He let partners know that MUST leadership will support the efforts and will ensure effective monitoring of the implementation process. During the dinner held on 2nd March 2022, Assoc. Prof. Charles Tushabomwe-Kazooba informed members that UCOBS will also enable the installation of various infrastructure facilities at MUST such as the GIS laboratory, ICT installations, ethnobotanical facilities, community cultural centres, training laboratories, renewable energy satellite sites, the Centre for Technology Transfer (CITT) co-creation laboratory, Business Incubation Centre (BIC) and data kiosks in the communities to make informed decisions and to improve video conferencing facilities at MUST. The representative of the City Mayor, Mr. Ronald Taremwa informed members the importance of MUST as the only public University in the development of Mbarara City. With the city’s vision of being branded as a commercial and medical centre of the region, MUST plays a pivotal role in the growth of Mbarara. Mr. Taremwa also told members the need to ensure a well managed and restored River Rwizi that is the main source of water for the city. This desire falls within the IUC plan for natural resource management and improved conservation practices. Prof. Nixon Kamukama, the MUST Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academic Affairs re-echoed the support by University leadership and encouraged the implementers not only have financial accountability but also tangible results on ground to cause positive change in MUST and the communities that implementation will take place.
